The Marines and sailors will work together on various missions during the seven-month deployment to the Middle East and Asia Pacific region, including disaster relief and embassy and security evacuations.

With help from researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and USC, citizen scientists in San Diego County are being trained to help document the effects of El Nino’s high tides and strong waves.

Heavy rainfall, gusty winds, large surf and mountain snow could batter the region for at least five consecutive days. By Friday, up to 4 inches of rain could deluge the coast, while 6 to 8 inches could fall in the mountains.

More than 100 people with developmental disabilities, along with their caregivers and advocates, urged Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and other state leaders to increase funding by 10 percent to the agencies that support them.

During previous strong El Niños, San Diego County suffered major coastal erosion, and waves reached heights never seen before. This time around, researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography are calling on the public to help document the potentially historic event.

An estimated 500 homeless people live along the flood-prone 52-mile river. Outreach teams have been scouring the riverbanks to alert the homeless to the dangers that will come with predicted heavy rains.

“The City must be prepared to protect residents and businesses that are at risk for extreme flooding,” Councilman David Alvarez said. “Acting now to perform channel maintenance in areas that typically flood is critical to ensuring the safety of our communities."

California’s catastrophic wildfires, massive tree mortality and water crisis can be partly blamed on human-induced climate change, according to a new report by Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.